Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-11-19
HE u~hpERrAKER.

THE UhDERrAKER.
His Life q Ph~tianthropto season which
IL liable ta be Unappreciaeed-He
Tells u story.
The days OF the past summer IN this
CITY have had oast upon them, by the
relentless hsnd of time, a sombre aspect
and while 1t is the inevitable lot of hui
manity to have sorrow mixed with Joy,
sone humanity, with atoms OF discon-
tent ia their make up, are liable to cen-
sure the powers that be and thus to in
cite others TO feelings of dependency
aud gloom, While several Ysnkton
people have gone 10 their last rest and
perhaps have already begun 10 be for
gotten there are CERTAIN features oon.
nected with the days OF sorrow surround-
ing their passing away which have
brought comfort to the mourners and
relief to their aching hearts. Among
these features may be mentioned the
work Of tho undertaken whose services
. shSsoR0hu1oA0 nAa VIM Au0Okb Aux kAC
comfort OF the u~nfeellag dead. OF course
his duties, for duties they are, are paid
for hut does it seem possible that a hu-
man being can associate almost constant
~ with the scenes OF pathos which are
contingencies Of the time when the
lease OF life expires for the loved one OF
some family without himself contracting
a dependency which tends to make him
almost as gloomy as death itself. Bat
andeftakers are few and the man who
dons the sombre aspect and looks with
careful MEN after the comfort OF mani.
mate bodies and directs the remaining
hours on earth of dead persons, sacrifices
much personal comfort and Ia a friend
to humanity indeed. People in lament.
ing the death OF some respected person
and and IN sympathizlpg with the
bereavsd are liable to forget the disagree
able work of the undertaken and to
think that his vocation is as pleasant as
any. One day recently an
undertaken was found by o
reporter in his coffin room trimnaing q
coffin for q dead cltizen. The undertaken
seemed to be at variance with himself
and when he drove a tack or folded the
lining of the coffin there was an unmis-
taxable shrinking Of his left fingers. The
reporter noticed this, and asked. "Do you
find this dIsaRreeable work." "Very
much so but it must be done and il o
man engages in it there is great
difficulty In getting out again. 1t is
hard rs we'll as dleagreesble work and
my lot is %unenviable TO say the least"
What wonld you do if you we're asked to
go into the presence OF adeRd one whom
you had long been acquainted with il
you had undress him, to touch his cold
clammy body, TO wash and finally to
place him in o coffin and TO say to his
beloved ones: t.There he is, take = part.
ing glsnce,hs will soon be hidden forever
beneath the surface OF the EARTH
"Thers sre thousands Of people" he con.
tinued "who can not be induced to ever
look at . corpse, and there are Others
who would not watch over the dead an.
der any circumstances, and yet it il my
duty, to fondle corpses, and often to
prepare thom for the grave after they
have been laoerated, by the surgeons
knife. are covered with blood. and have
begun to decay. This is not a pleas ami
picture for any n to consider but /
have aeon it time and again, and I am
willing TO exchange business with any
Living man except the hangnan." He
the undertaken told OF embalming
bodies mentioning the fact, that bodies
could DO SO treated that a tinge of old
life color would be brought to the fea-
lures. He told one case, wherein two
days. after death physicians were
called in TO oxmaine a corpse
the family thinking life not
extinct because the face appeared tc
have q ruddy glow. he told OF corpses
which never became rigid and stiff, and
of others which were seemingly like
iron two hours after the last breath, but
which became limp and timber again
within twenty four hours. He told oil
touching scenes nround the coffin when
he scrswsd down the lid, obliged tc
separate forever, husband, from wife OF
mother from child. Allthese things and
many more he told and his face the
while was unlighted by q smile, and his
thoughts were more than gloomy.
With q sigh he returned to his work O.
trimming q home for some corpse, arc
his story was concluded. The world il
wide and undsrtakers are not numerous
Therefore any who desire to engage in
the business have ample opportunity.
WANTED
-~s No..